Government spokesperson urges international community to address DRC spillover into Rwanda
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 you see to collaboration with other actors, particularly with civil society and local
00:07 communities in trying to get the message across and also understanding what their views are
00:14 and building that into what peacekeeping does?
00:16 I think it should be a deliberate effort that starts even before deployment, built into
00:26 the work that starts in advance, in advancing and preparing for the particular situations
00:32 that the peacekeepers are going into, including language and cultural and other factors that
00:36 affect the success of the mission.
00:38 And I hope Fran and other colleagues will find a way to clear the bureaucratic hurdles
00:42 so that the stratcoms can be fit for purpose and we can move along better on this.
00:50 There's also, there should be an aspect of active dialogue.
00:53 It's not just about missions informing the communities, they should be informed by the
00:56 communities.
00:57 So it's a two-way dialogue.
01:00 And that also helps to build trust and avoid speculation and unrealistic expectations,
01:07 even with explaining why the mission is there, for instance, shouldn't be taken for granted
01:12 that people in the host community understand why the mission is there.
01:19 This has to be clear right from the beginning.
01:23 So these open communication channels have to be used to address concerns, tackle misinformation
01:30 together more effectively, and ensure accountability where grievances come up.
01:38 And there should be an effort to really encourage local input into addressing areas of concern,
01:47 especially around sensitive issues.
01:50 There's also the issue of cultural sensitivity and understanding the history and background
01:57 of that particular community.
02:00 Because wherever the root causes of that particular conflict are not understood, and we've seen
02:08 that in this area, it just prolongs the conflict.
02:12 And we seem to be applying solutions that don't work because we don't understand where
02:16 we're coming from with the particular situations.
02:19 We also need to address particular needs of women and other vulnerable groups in a very
02:29 specific way.
02:31 Also understanding the cultural sensitivities of the area.
02:35 I think finally, not finally, almost finally, peacekeepers cannot be seen as party to the
02:42 conflict.
02:44 There has to be transparency in the mission activities and decision-making processes,
02:50 so that in order again to build that trust and keep that conversation going with the
02:56 community.
02:57 There's one more thing that I think is not talked about enough and we need to examine,
03:03 and that's the role of mainstream media, including regional and international media,
03:11 in perpetuating misinformation.
03:15 And there's a wider context to this, especially in reporting on Africa and other less developed
03:19 regions.
03:20 I mean, across the world, media budgets, even in big media outlets, budgets are falling,
03:28 which means there's a reduction in staff, which means the bureaus, the foreign bureaus
03:32 are not the same as they used to be.
03:34 They're not staffed the way they used to be.
03:36 There's increased reliance on inexperienced stringers.
03:40 We have, for instance, you may have one foreign correspondent reporting for a major Western
03:50 paper based in one capital but covering 15 countries, and all the news goes to that one
03:58 person.
04:00 And in some areas where there's no media present at all, there's increased reliance on NGOs.
04:09 So that affects the quality of reporting that's coming out.
04:12 If you add to this the general lack of scrutiny on the stories coming from Africa and a lower
04:21 standard of rigor when it comes to journalistic ethics, then we'd have mainstream media, whether
04:32 it's deliberate or not, but then that perpetuates misinformation.
04:36 And this is something that we see quite often.
04:40 It's something that needs to be challenged by host governments, by missions, by civil
04:47 society, by those who have the real facts on the ground.
04:52 Because if it's not addressed, if it's not challenged, if it's not corrected, then we
04:55 get into a never-ending cycle of the wrong information being perpetuated by these mega
05:02 platforms.
05:03 And it's hard to bring it back.
05:06 So that's a challenge that needs to be addressed, because it has a huge effect on how peacekeeping
05:15 operations are perceived.
05:16 I'll give an example again about Rwanda, for instance.
05:20 We've had several times, I have personally called editors in Paris, for instance, and
05:26 major news agencies where there's a story, for instance, on sexual exploitation of minors
05:33 by a particular troop contributing, troops from a particular country.
05:41 And the story that appears on that media is a photo of Rwandan troops with a flag of Rwanda,
05:48 and it's quite blatant.
05:49 It even mismatches the, doesn't fit with the title, with the heading of the story.
05:55 So when you call the editors, like, I think there's a misunderstanding here.
05:58 The story is about this issue, and the photo that's illustrating is completely different.
06:04 So we've had them apologize and then do the right thing.
06:08 But if you don't point it out, it just stays there, and it goes into the database of misinformation,
06:18 and then AI comes in and picks it up.
06:21 And then it's hard to correct later.
06:24 So we need to be aware of this and find ways to work with mainstream media, understanding
06:30 the limitations that international media faces these days, and then work within that to ensure
06:36 that the right thing is being done.
06:39 Just addressing the question about host governments being the spreader of misinformation, I think
06:48 one thing that can guard against this, I mean, situations are different.
06:56 It's a case-by-case basis.
06:57 But in general, I think there needs to be consistency in putting people first.
07:02 Putting people first, the people who need protection, and the reason that we are there
07:08 in the first place, then communicating successes clearly.
07:13 I think the contradictions that pop up, that are lingering, have to be addressed honestly,
07:21 and then continued direct dialogue with the government and other stakeholders.
07:27 I think these are efforts that need to continue in general in situations like this.
07:34 I mean, if we give an example of, for instance, I know MONUSCO has taken a beating lately,
07:42 but there's some successes that need to be talked about more.
07:45 I saw yesterday that they tweeted about that in the last 20 years or so, over 10,000 ex-combatants
07:54 have been repatriated to Rwanda, where we have a very successful DDR program.
08:02 That's a very positive thing, not well known, and it's something that MONUSCO has managed
08:06 to do, working with other stakeholders here in the DRC over the years.
08:13 And along with, if there were other actions, positive actions along in that direction,
08:20 then we could go some way to starting to resolve the root causes of the conflict in Eastern
08:28 DRC.
08:29 So successes have to be communicated, but it's essentially about putting people first.
08:32 And the reason why these combatants actually come to the MONUSCO base is because they trust
08:39 that they will then be protected and then sent back into a program that will lead to
08:46 them eventually being reintegrated back into their community.
08:50 That's a good thing.
08:51 So these have to be communicated quite clearly so that the respect for this mission grow
09:01 and the trust becomes more entrenched.
09:07 When someone within the UN system who's appointed to do that kind of work, to monitor
09:11 what's being, monitor hate speech and help us all prevent genocide, sounds the alarm,
09:20 and this is not taken up.
09:22 And then you have another part of the system that puts out reports that then blame the
09:28 victims.
09:29 So there's a contradiction there that needs to be addressed.
09:32 And even more, sorry about this, about MONUSCO, so in terms of consistency, I don't know
09:41 if we saw what happened this weekend.
09:44 Right here at the border, 200 kilometers away from where we're sitting right now, we had
09:48 the same people who, same groups, illegal armed groups, including the FDLR, who are
09:58 responsible for hate speech in eastern DRC, were at the border on the DRC side, armed,
10:06 with children mingling in the crowd, shouting hate speech with their guns.
10:16 I didn't see any communication about that.
10:18 I don't know if there was any kind of social listening about that, but that's an example
10:23 of something that's left unsaid by the right people, that then contributes to the perpetuation
10:31 of hate speech and emboldens the people who continue to do this.
10:37 And then it has a direct effect on people's lives, including on exodus of refugees seeking
10:44 safety across the border, that then go into another UN system for protection, and another
10:53 government.
10:54 So I think all these are tied together, and this is the point about consistency.
10:57 So yes, we need to communicate successes, but we also need to point out the challenges
11:02 and where, when threats emerge that are very clear to the naked eye, you know, hundreds
11:09 of people with guns at the border shouting across words that we all know very well historically,
11:14 that we all recognize that the UN has been teaching us about for the last almost 30 years.
11:19 I think this is something that needs to be addressed, and it cannot go without being
11:24 said, because we're living it right now.
11:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]